I spent a month in the Canadian Rockies in the summer
of 2006. If you are going to spend time in the Canadian
Rockies hiking, I highly recommend getting the book The
Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart
Robinson. It includes pictures, excellent writeups, trail
maps, distances, and elevations (though only the total
distance and elevation includes miles and feet so I did
have to do a little bit of metric conversion for partial
hikes).
Fee: Also purchase a year National Park Pass if you are
going to be in Banff, Jasper, and/or Waterton for more
than a few days (can be purchased at the entrance station
for $62.40 Canadian (2007 price) per person). Day use
fee for Banff and Jasper is $8.65 Canadian (2007) per
person. Day use fee for Waterton is $6.90 Canadian
(2007) per person. Lodging in Banff and Jasper is
expensive, but campgrounds are cheap and you don't need
reservations if you arrive early enough in the day. I
started my trip from the north and headed down, which
is the order I'm listing the hikes.
See http://www.pc.gc.ca/
for the official park web pages and more information.
[The first 2 hikes (Joffre Lakes and Garibaldi Lake) are
from Western Canada, in the Whistler area. The rest are
Canadian Rockies hikes.]
Garibaldi Lake
Directions:
Hwy 99 to Garibaldi Provincial Park - between
Alice Lake Provincial Park and the tourist town
of Whistler. Watch for a the sign for Garibaldi
Lake and take the road to the right a short ways
to the parking area.
Chemical toilets at parking area.
$3 parking fee.
Trails:
Are you ready for a tail-kicker? This trail goes
up, up, up, up. The wide (2-person width) trail
heads through the trees and is a steep up to start
and then a steady up and then switchbacks forever
(took me over 1.5 hours of switchbacking). There
are markers every kilometer and the switchbacking
finally ends at the 6 km marker (it's 9 km to the
upper lake). Go straight at the trail junction
and a short ways ahead, take a short sidetrip to
the right to a rock outcrop for a great distance
view to the west of the mountain range. Back on
the trail, Barrier Lake is a short ways ahead. It
is a tree surrounded lake with a startling glacial
blue color. The trail is mild around the lake and
mild around the near by Lesser Garibaldi Lake,
also a tree surrounded lake and the same blue
color. After crossing the small bridge while
heading around the lake, the trail starts heading
up again, but it is a mild up, and goes at a mild
up almost all the way to Garibaldi Lake. As you
approach the lake, you get glimpses of it from
above and realize it was worth all that effort to
reach the lake. The trail drops down to lakeside
and makes its way around to the west shore of the
lake (and campground area), ending at a small
dock. Find a nice resting spot (water way too
cold to feet soak) and enjoy the many wonderful
views of the lake and numerous glacial covered
granite peaks. There are a couple of tiny
islands that you can rock-hop over to.
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.6 miles, 2625 feet one-way
Area:
Big mountains, 2 small mountain lakes, 1 huge
mountain lake, glaciers, waterfalls
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Recommendation:
A heck of a lot of work, but the reward is
magnificent.
Joffre Lakes
Directions:
Hwy 99 for about 60 miles (mountain driving)
north of Whistler. Keep an eye out for the
unsigned turn in on the right for the parking
area (or the stunning view just past the turn
if you miss it).
Chemical toilet at parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
So as I was driving up Hwy 99 to start my long
drive to the Canadian Rockies, I glanced to the
right and saw this beautiful area - massive
granite peaks filled with glaciers - so I did
a u-turn and pulled into the parking area to
see what it was and if there were any trails in
the area. Sure enough, there was a trail and
a non-hiking day turned into a big hiking day.
The trail starts as a short gravel down to
Lower Joffre Lake. It is a tree surrounded
lake, but still pretty as you can see the many
peaks behind it. The trail continues around
the lake to the right and soon the gravel goes
away - as does the easiness of the hike -
nothing is mild after this. The trail is very
rocky and rooty and at times very steep where
you have to use your hands on trees for balance
as you make your way up very rocky and rooty
spots. There is a long section that is a mild
up, but the trail goes through a rock field so
it is very slow going. You won't make fast
time either going up or coming down on this
hike). Middle Joffre Lake is pretty, but the
Upper Lake (less than a mile ahead) is your
destination and the best area of the 3 lakes.
It is a wonderful sight of the good-sized lake,
a grand waterfall feeding the lake, the massive
Matter Glacier (as well as 2 other glaciers),
and 7 mountain peaks. The trail does continue
around the lake to where there is a campground
area at the other end of the lake, but you
don't need to go that far as the best views
are shortly after arriving at the lake (and the
side canyon to the right that you see ahead
isn't a scenic view). The only bad thing is
there really isn't any good lakeside resting
spots where you have grand views (I did make my
way off the trail near the bottom of the lake
for a not-too-bad spot). There are small
orange diamonds on the trees and rocks to mark
the trail.
Trail Length + Elevation:
.3 mile to Lower Joffre Lake
3.4 miles, 1312 feet one-way Upper Joffre Lake
Area:
Mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, mountain lakes.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, August 17, 2007
Recommendation:
If you are in the Whistler area and up for a
hard hike on a rougher trail, Joffre Lakes is
definitely a wonderful place.
Kinney Lake - Mt. Robson Provincial Park
Directions:
Hwy 16 to Mt. Robson Visitor Center (stop there first
and there is a good view of Mt. Robson across the
meadow - Mt. Robson is the Canadian Rockies highest
peak) and head north along the road next to the
visitor center to the Berg Lake parking lot.
Outhouses at parking lot and lake (flush toilets at
the visitors center).
Free.
Trails:
The there-and-back trail to Kinney Lake continues
further for multi-day hikes - unfortunately the
distances to Berg Lake (which is supposed to be
really pretty) is just too far (12.6 miles one-way)
for a day-hike. The wide gravel and dirt trail is
an old road (not too wide, though) and bikes are
also allowed along the section to Kinney Lake (but
not further). It's a mild hike that goes through
the trees along the pretty Robson River.
Unfortunately there aren't too many views of the
impressive Mt Robson along the way. But there are
good views of Mt Robson at the head of the good
sized lake. I didn't travel around the lake as the
trail stays to the east side of the lake and the
views to the west weren't that impressive (Mt
Robson is on the east side). There are no hard
climbs along the way, just mild elevation gains.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.8 miles, 425 feet one-way
Picture
Area:
Trees, river, lower mountain lake, big mountain
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Recommendation:
One of the prettier day hikes in the northern area.
Good for a family outing. A little bit out of the
way, though.
Maligne Lake Shore Trail - Jasper National Park
Directions:
Hwy 16 to Maligne Lake Road, take road all the
way to the end. At the end, go right and park
in the farthest parking lot.
Flush toilets at the parking lot.
Free (fee area is along Hwy 93)
Trails:
Head towards the lake on one of the access trails
and connect with the shore trail (sometimes is
a little bit inland). Turn around when you feel
like it.
Trail Length + Elevation:
About 1.5 miles, level
Area:
Trees, large lake
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Recommendation:
I was so underwelmed with the entire area that I
tossed out a planned long hike in the valley and
went with my alternate plan (Kinney Lake).
Path of the Glacier - Jasper National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to Hwy 93A (a few miles south of the Hwy 93
and Hwy 16 junction) and head west (and then south)
on 93A for about 3.5 miles to Cavell Road. Head
up the narrow (but paved) windy road to the gravel
parking lot at the end.
Vault toilets at the parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
I'm listing this and the next hike (Cavell Meadows)
separate as everyone should do this hike and only
the hardier hikers will try for Cavell Meadows.
The paved trail starts heading up and to the left
of the old viewpoint (with the bench) and the
pavement soon ends and it's a rocky trail the rest
of the way. At the junction, head straight for
the loop trail (or take a left for the Meadows
trail). Soon you will have wonderful views of
Mt. Edith Cavell and her 3 glaciers and the
majestic glacial lake at her base, including
icebergs in the lake. The trail drops to the
lake and after not too much effort you're at the
gem of the park. You can find some solitude by
heading to the left for a ways and find a nice
rock to sit on and enjoy the views. Explore the
area to your heart's content (but be careful if
you chose to go near the waterfall area). The
trail heads out a little to the right from where
the loop came out to the lake and it's a mild
walk back to the parking lot through an area that
was once glacier covered.
Note that on the drive up, you can stop across
from the Hostel and take a short walk down to the
small, pretty Cavell Lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1 mile loop, little bit of up and down (though on
secondary visits, you can skip the top part of
the loop to make a shorter, easier trip to the
glacial lake)
Picture
Area:
Glaciers, splendid glacial lake, granite mountains
When I did the hike:
Sunday, August 20, 2006 (and Monday and Tuesday);
Sunday, July 6, 2008 (and Monday)
Recommendation:
Absolutely. A must if you are in the area. After
my first visit, I went back each of the next 2
evenings I was in the area and had dinner at the
glacial lake. My favorite spot of my entire
Canadian visit.
Cavell Meadows - Jasper National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to Hwy 93A (a few miles south of the Hwy 93
and Hwy 16 junction) and head west (and then south)
on 93A for about 3.5 miles to Cavell Road. Head
up the narrow (but paved) windy road to the gravel
parking lot at the end.
Chemical toilets at the parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
Head up and left from the parking lot and go on
the Path of the Glacier trail. At the junction,
take a hard left and continue heading up on the
rocky trail. The trail will turn and head behind
the moraine (rock pile). At the hard turn where
the trail heads into the trees, first take a right
(carefully) up the moraine for the best view down
on the Cavell glacial lake. The trail switchbacks
a couple of times through the trees and then you
hit another trail junction. Head right and stop
at the first view point. If you got that far,
continue up to the 2nd view point (it's the best
of the 3), not too much farther ahead. Catch your
breath and enjoy the best view of Angel Glacier
and Mt. Edith Cavell (only a little bit of the
lake visible, though). Then it's decision time:
are you ready for a tail-kicker of a hike or are
you ready to go down and visit the lake? If you
are ready to go down, return the way you came.
Else, the trail narrows and heads steeply up
through the meadows (no flowers when I was there)
and up and up. Continue heading up from the 2
junctions. After the second junction, the trail
heads up through a scree slope and then at the
switchback it's an even steeper up to the view
point with the cairn stack. I found the views
at the 2nd view point more impressive, but you
do get 360 degree views at this spot. The spot
also held a bonus for me when the couple that
was there the same time I was pointed out a
caribou walking along the top of the ridge above
us. Head back down and take a right at the
first junction - the trail is a loop at the top
of the trees through the meadow area.
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.8 miles loop, 1300 feet
Picture
Area:
Glaciers, splendid glacial lake, granite mountains,
section of trees, lots of open views
When I did the hike:
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Recommendation:
A harder hike, but the views are majestic.
Definitely go to the best view point of the Cavell
glacial lake.
Lower Geraldine Lake - Jasper National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to 93A (heading south) to the Geraldine
Fire Road. The rough, narrow, dirt road heads
up for an unpleasant 3.5 miles to a small
parking area at the trailhead.
No facilities.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
After a busy day of hiking, I thought I'd try
the Geraldine Lakes hike. I should have saved
it for later as I didn't have time to go to the
2nd lake and the road to the trailhead was bad
enough that I wasn't about to make a return
visit. The narrow, rooty trail heads up (some
mild, some harder) through the trees. After
a little over a mile, the trail reaches the
edge of Lower Geraldine Lake, a peaceful tree
surrounded lake with some peak views in the
distance. The hike to the Second Geraldine
Lake is described as a hard, rocky hike that
goes up steeply next to 2 waterfalls.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1.1 mile to Lower Geraldine Lake
3.1 miles, 1340 feet trailhead to Second
Geraldine Lake (one-way)
Area:
Trees, mountains, lakes
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 21, 2006
Recommendation:
Na. The rough road just to get to the trailhead
alone makes this a hike to skip. If it wasn't
for the road, I might have made a return visit
to go to the 2nd lake.
Columbia Icefields - Jasper National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to the Columbia Icefields (just north
of the Banff park boarder). Head east a short
bit on the road on the other side of 93 from
the visitors center and the take right down
to the parking area for the glacier.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
My plan of simply driving through Banff and
Jasper to start my trip at the north spot and
head south got tossed aside when I stopped at
the Columbia Icefields for a bathroom break.
After looking at the Athabasca Glacier across
the way, I couldn't help myself but drive over
there and take the walk up to the glacier.
It's a wide dirt trail (road width) with lots
and lots of people. It does go up, but anyone
can do it. The trail ends at the glacier -
you can touch it and you can even walk on it
as they have roped of section on the glacier
that they believe is safe. Since walking on
a glacier near its edge where it's melting
doesn't seem like the smartest thing to me,
I simply found a spot to the left with fewer
people and sat with a view under the glacier
of melting ice and the sound of running water.
Trail Length + Elevation:
About a mile, a bit of up
Picture
Area:
Mountains, massive glacier
When I did the hike:
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Recommendation:
Nothing really exciting, but something you have
to do if you are there.
Wilcox Pass - Jasper National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to the Columbia Icefields. About 2
miles south of the Icefields center, look
for the Wilcox Creek Campground turnoff on
the east side of the road and park along
that road (along with all the other cars).
Outhouse at parking area.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The narrow trail heads up through the trees.
After a good bit, the trail does get above
the tree line and is open meadows the rest
of the way. There are some good views
across the valley of Athabasca Glacier, but
the view is diminished by the many tourist
vehicles visible on the glacier and the
road noise from Hwy 93. The trail continues
heading a slight up, but soon goes behind
a ridge and the great glacier views go away.
Turn around when you feel like it.
I read 3 trail reports raving about this
hike, but I found it pretty blah - maybe the
problem was that I had just done Parker
Ridge with its magnificent view.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.5 miles, 1100 feet to pass (one-way)
Area:
Trees, mountains, glaciers
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 21, 2006
Recommendation:
Na. Some nice views, but the road noise
diminishes the affect and Parker Ridge is
close by and more worthy of your effort.
Parker Ridge - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to just south of the Banff-Jasper park
boarder (about 2.5 miles south of the boarder)
to the large parking area on the west side of
the road (it's on the inside of a large curve
on the road).
Vault toilet at the parking lot
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
This is one of those tail-kicker hikes where
it is ugly, ugly, ugly but with a magnificent
destination. The trail simply switchbacks up
and up and up, first through trees and then
above the tree line. The views along the way
are blah and there are plenty of wooden
barriers and "Stay on trail" signs along the
way. Once you reach the ridge point, it looks
like the trail should go to the right, but the
correct way is straight ahead and then to the
left. The road noise is finally gone and soon
you'll see the reward for all the effort. Go
as far to the left as you can (the trail peters
out) and find a spot to sit and enjoy the view
for a while. Before you is the huge Saskatchewan
Glacier and its valley and glacial lake.
Back at the ridge point (a saddleback), I went
ahead and took that right (now left) and went
up the ridge for what seemed like should be a
good view area of the granite mountain to the
north - alas there is no good view as there is
always a ridge blocking the view and the best
view is actually from the road (so skip going
up there).
Trail Length + Elevation:
1.7 miles, 2250 feet one-way
Area:
Mountains, glacier and isolated valley views
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 21, 2006; Sunday, July 5, 2008
Recommendation:
Absolutely. 1 of 3 places in Banff-Jasper I'd
say are must visits (Mt Edith Cavell [Path
of the Glaciers] and Moraine Lake area).
Saskatchewan Glacier Trail - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to Banff North - just before the sharp
curve in the highway right before it starts its
climb (Big Bend), there is a short dirt road on
the south side of the road that ends at a barrier
before an old bridge - park in front of the
bridge (room for about 3 cars).
No facilities.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
After seeing the Saskatchewan Glacier from Parker
Ridge, I got excited when I saw that there was a
trail that went up the glacier valley.
Unfortunately it is an unmaintained and seldom
used trail, so I didn't get as far up the valley
as I would have liked. [I'd love for the park to
expand this trail and create a true parking area
at the bend of the road; the hard part of the
trail is already there and it would make an
excellent family trail as the elevation gain
isn't much.] During World War II, a road was
built to the glacier so that vehicles could be
tested for the construction of the Alaska
Highway. The remains of that dirt road make up
part of this trail. Right after crossing the
bridge, take a right and either go up the trail
through the woods (some ups and downs) or drop
down to river-side and walk along the river (and
then turn left when the way left opens up and
head straight to hook up with the road) - after
rounding the hill, the trail intersects with the
old road (really 2 trails now as the middle of
the road has small trees and bushes) and then
head right. After going through the plain, the
trail reaches the trees and a small hill and
heads left up the hill and over the ridge into
the glacier valley. There is a pretty view
point of the valley shortly after going over the
ridge (but no glacier views). Unfortunately
parts of the old road have been washed out and
you have to bush-whack along a narrow trail
(pushing branches aside as you go) above the
river bank (you can walk alongside the river for
a bit, but eventually you have to go up to the
narrow trail). Progress was slow along that
portion of the trail and I only got to the first
bend in the river before I gave up and headed
back (no glacier view).
Trail Length:
3.7 miles (or less)
Picture
Area:
Mountain valley, trails, river
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Recommendation:
No, unless the park works on this trail.
Glacier Lake - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to just north of Saskatchewan Crossing,
the parking area is on the west side of the
road a short ways from the highway.
No facilities.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
My first attempt to visit this lake got rained
out as it started raining about a mile in (and
then started hailing shortly before I reached
the car - thank goodness I was smart and turned
around). So the next day I went back and hiked
to the lake. It's a wide trail to start and
descends gently for about 20 minutes to the
river and then you cross the river on a bridge.
The trail then narrows and it's a short but
steep up. Soon you reach a pretty view point
of the large Howse River Valley - the lake is
actually not in that valley but over the small
tree lined mountains ahead and to the right.
This an down-and-up-and-down-and-up-and-down
hike (and then back). The trail drops down a
bit and then is fairly level heading along the
valley floor. The trail then heads away from
the valley to the right. When the trail goes
next to the stream, the climbing starts again
and the trail crosses over the creek a couple
of times. After the last crossing (to the
left), the trail goes steeply up the ridge, then
mild for a bit, and then another good up another
ridge. The trail is then mild for a little bit
and then starts the long (sometimes steep) down
to the lake. You are almost there when you see
a white sign pointing the way back. At the lake,
take a left to the campground for some good
resting spots next to the large, forest enclosed
lake. The lake isn't anything exciting, not
worthy of the name Glacier Lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
11 miles, 1450 feet round trip
Area:
Trees, mountains, valley, lower mountain lake.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Recommendation:
A lot of work for not that spectacular reward.
Chephen Lake - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to Waterfowl Lakes Campground (about 12
miles south of Saskatchewan Crossing), on the
west side of the road. Take a left after
turning into the campground and take the road
to the end for the day-parking area (or stay
at the campground). Walk to the riverside and
you should see a trail heading right and a
bridge a short ways ahead - the bridge is the
trailhead.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
After crossing the bridge, the trail is a
mild up for about 15 minutes to a T-junction.
Take a right (to the left is the way to Cirque
Lake) and the trail is really fairly level the
rest of the way, with just a slight down near
the lake. It's a dirt trail and sometimes
fairly rooty (and muddy for my hike as it had
rained the entire day up to an hour before I
did this hike). For such a short and easy
hike, the destination is pretty special - a
blue-green nice sized lake (not large, not
small) with in a bowl with granite peaks
above. There were 3 ducks in the water near
the edge and I had a pleasant dinner lakeside
and nice end to what had been a rained-out
day. It only took about an hour to get to
the lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.2 miles, 344 feet one-way
Area:
Trees, mountain, mountain lake in a bowl
Picture
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Recommendation:
An easy hike with a pretty destination, good
for a family outing.
Cirque Lake - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to Waterfowl Lakes Campground (about 12
miles south of Saskatchewan Crossing), on the
west side of the road. Take a left after
turning into the campground and take the road
to the end for the day-parking area (or stay
at the campground). Walk to the riverside and
you should see a trail heading right and a
bridge a short ways ahead - the bridge is the
trailhead.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
After crossing the bridge, the trail is a
mild up for about 15 minutes to a T-junction.
Take a left (to the right is the way to
Chephen Lake). The rooty trail first heads
down from the junction goes gradually up
until it starts going next to the creek. Then
there are some steep ups for a ways as the
trail stays near the creek all the way to the
lake. Once the trail finally calms down some,
you are almost there but still have a little
bit further to go. When you see the lake,
continue on the trail until you are lakeside
(there is a grassy area at the foot of the
lake - go past that). There is a boulder
field on the right side of the lake and you
should be able to find a nice resting spot
there. It's a pretty shale-blue lake, on the
smaller size, with granite peaks at the far
side of the lake.
This and Chephen Lake can be combined as a
single hike (they share the first .5 miles
up) - 8 miles total. If you do both, go to
Cirque Lake first as that takes more energy
and is better with fresh legs.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.6 miles, ?? feet one-way
Area:
Trees, mountain, mountain lake in a bowl
Picture
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Recommendation:
A harder hike than Chephen Lake, but worth a
visit if you have time for both (if you only
have time to visit one, then visit Chephen).
Bow Glacier Falls - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to Bow Lake, At the north end of the
lake, turn in to the parking area for
Num-Ti-Jah Lodge and park in the day-use
area. To get to the trailhead, walk through
the parking lots (day and lodge) to the
foot-bridge.
Flush toilets at the parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The trail starts heading along Bow Lake's
north end - there are some spectacular views
of the lake along the way. The trail is flat
and wide (2-person width) around the lake.
Once you hit the river inlet, the trail
follows the river, with one small up and down
along the way. At the slot canyon, first
take a side trip to the foot of the canyon
for a pretty view into the water canyon (and
nice spot to rest for a bit). Then it's the
hard part of the hike - it's a very steep up
the ridge with some (but not enough) wooden
steps. After you are done with the climb,
there is a great viewpoint of the falls and
into the left valley. The trail goes down to
the moraines and then it's a rocky mild up
the rest of the way - follow the rock cairns
where you can, else just head towards the
falls. Find what ever viewpoint you like and
sit for a bit and enjoy the impressive falls.
There are no views along the way of the
glacier that sits above the falls.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.9 miles, 310 feet one-way
Area:
Massive lake, mountains, impressive waterfall
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, August 25, 2006
Recommendation:
Very pretty falls. The views along Bow Lake
during the first section of the trail are
outstanding - even if you don't have time to
go to the falls, do a little bit of the
lakeside walk.
Payton Glacier Overlook (Banff National Park)
Directions:
Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93) north to the
Payton Glacier overlook turnover on the
left (about 1/2 mile past the north end of
Bow Lake).
Note: though the path is (cracked) paved,
it is too steep for wheelchairs, but those
with handicap parking passes can continue
up the road further for a shorter access
to the viewpoint.
Vault toilets.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The paved path starts at the northwest
corner of the parking lot and heads up to
the overlook, with some nature signs along
the way. From the overlook is a pretty
look down on the large distinctive blue
Payton Lake. To the left is a not so good
look at the Payton Glacier (you have to
turn your head and don't get the lake and
glacier in one view).
Trail Length + Elevation:
less than .5 miles, 200 feet one-way
Area:
Canadian Rocky Mountains, large lake,
glacier.
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Recommendation:
Worth a short stop.
Helen Lake and Ridge - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to Bow Lake. At the south end of the
lake, there is a turnoff on the east side of
the road and the parking area is just ahead -
the turnoff is right across the road from a
pullout viewpoint of Bow Lake.
No facilities.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
For a good day outing, head up to Helen
Ridge. The packed dirt, one-person width
trail starts heading up immediately through
the trees. After 2 stream crossing, the
trail actually heads down for a bit. After
the 4th stream crossing (a double-stream),
the trail starts heading up again - mild at
first and then gets steeper. After rounding
the bend, the trail is almost above the tree
line and is mild most of the rest of the way
to the lake (a couple of small ups and
downs), but still some ways to go to get to
the lake. Once you reach the lake, the rock
outcrop near the trail is a nice resting
spot - and do take a rest as the lake is not
your destination. If you've made it to the
lake, you must head up to the ridge top as
the views are well worth the effort. And it
is a hard, steep up. Halfway up is a
junction. To the left is an extremely steep
short cut (I wouldn't want to go down that)
for those going up Cirque Peak (no true
trail to the peak). To the right is the way
you want to go. It's still a hard up (but
not as hard up as the short cut). Once you
reach the ridge, head right along the ridge
to the far right for wonderful 360 degree
views including down on Katherine Lake,
Dolomite Valley, and Bow Valley.
On the way back, once you round the bend,
keep an eye out for some impressive views
of Bow Lake and Crowfoot Glacier across the
way.
Trail Length + Elevation:
4.3, 1805 feet one-way to ridge
Area:
Trees, mountains, above tree line, mountain
lake, mountain ridge with 360 degree views.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, August 25, 2006; Monday, July 7,
2008 (to lake)
Recommendation:
Yes, yes, yes. The hike takes some effort,
but the views from the ridge are worth it.
Miller and Eva Lakes - Mt. Revelstoke
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Mt Revelstoke National Park, near the west
end of the park, turn north on the road that goes
all the way to the top of Mt. Revelstoke.
Chemical toilets at parking area, outhouse at Miller
Lake (probably one somewhere at Eva Lake). Ask for
a trail map for Eva Lake when you enter the park.
$7 Canadian.
Trails:
From the parking area, you have a choice of waiting
and taking the free shuttle up to the trailhead or
hike an extra mile up (use the shuttle up, the
trail down). There are a couple of small lakes at
the parking area itself and the area is over-used.
The trail to Miller and Eva Lakes (and Jade Pass)
is to the left and straight from where the shuttle
drops you off. The trail starts as a short bit
paved and then a bit of gravel, but is dirt and
rock the rest of the way. The trail starts with a
mild down and then a mild up through the trees.
The trail then heads down, including a couple of
switchbacks (not a huff-and-puffer). The trail is
mild through a couple of rock fields (defined
trail through the fields, so not difficult). The
trail rounds the bend and heads up (not steep).
At the junction, hook a right a Miller is 1/4 mile
ahead - a small up and down to the pretty lake.
There are some small rock area along the shore
near where the trail reaches the lake that you can
rest and feet soak on. Back at the junction,
continue on and the junction for Jade Pass and
Jade Lakes is just ahead (all the junctions are
signed) - I was going to hike out to those lakes
(2.5 miles one-way from junction), but ominous
clouds were coming and I had to be rational and
simply head back to my car - the trail to the Jade
Lakes is a reportedly hard up to a pass and then a
steep down to the lakes. Eva Lake is 1/2 mile
straight on the trail with some up (nothing
difficult). I wasn't impressed with Eva Lake (but
it is close enough that if you go to Miller Lake,
you might as well go to Eva Lake too).
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.4 miles, 382 ft down, 262 ft up to Miller Lake
.5 miles, 118 feet up Miller Lake to Eva Lake
5.6 miles, 787 ft up, 1099 ft down trailhead to
Jade Lakes
(2.5 miles from Miller Lake to Jade Lakes)
Area:
Mountains, trees, alpine meadows, mountain lakes.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Recommendation:
If you are in the area, sure. Don't make a special
trip out for these lakes, though.
Hamilton Lake - Yoho National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Yoho National Park. Just west of
the small town of Field, head north on
Emerald Lake Road all the way to the parking
lot near the large lake. The trailhead is
at the southwest edge of the parking lot.
Chemical toilets at the parking lot .
Free
Trails:
It's an up, up, up hike almost the whole way.
Enjoy the mild sections of the hike as there
are few (as you would expect of a trail that
gains 2800 feet in such a short distance).
There are lots and lots of switchbacks as you
head up through the trees. Early on in the
hike, you reach the unimpressive Hamilton
Falls (with a chained fence barrier) next to
the trail. And then you continue going up
for a long ways. You're not close to the lake
until you reach the talus slope, and even then
you still have a bit further to go. After
going next to the big boulder, the trail
continues to the right, but there is a nice
viewpoint to the left and top of the boulder
of the valley you came up. The lake is a
short up ahead and around the bend. Take a
well deserved rest at the lake. It took me
2 hours to reach the small, pretty lake that
is in a granite bowl with granite peaks above.
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.4 miles, 2800 feet one-way
Area:
Mountains, small falls, trees, mountain lake.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Recommendation:
A harder hike with a very pretty destination.
I liked the lake.
Twin Falls and Whaleback Ridge - Yoho National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Yoho National Park. A few miles
east of the town of Field, head north on
the Yoho Valley Road all the way to the
road's end at Takakkaw Falls (extremely tall
waterfall visible from the road, also a short
paved trail to near the bottom of the falls).
Toilets at parking lot, outhouse near chalet.
Free
Trails:
Masochistic me combined 3 separate hikes to
make a long loop and a very full day hike.
I did the Twin Falls, Whaleback, and part of
the Iceline trails as one hike. The hike to
Twin Falls starts at the top of the parking
lot, heading into the campground area. The
gravel trail is mild most of the way heading
along side the Yoho River. After a bit of
an up, there is a short side trail to a view
point of a cascade - skip it. And then the
trail is mild again. After the branch for
Lake Duchesnay (again skip, it was dry when
I was there and didn't look like it would be
interesting with water), the trail drops to
the river. Take a rest and enjoy the pretty
Laughing Falls. As the trail rounds the tip
of an old moraine, the trail climbs for a
ways. After getting glimpses of Twin Falls
through the trees, the trail heads down until
reaching the campground (there are no views of
the falls at the campground and none until
you are near the falls). Then it's up, up,
and up, including some switchbacks. The trail
does get milder near the falls. At the
junction (with an outhouse to the right), take
a short jaunt right and then a quick left for
the trail to the best views of the falls (with
benches). Rest and enjoy the view (and maybe
get a little wet from the water spray). The
Twin Falls Chalet is across the bridge you
see below you (take a left and the trail
junction to reach it - I didn't visit it).
When you are ready, head back out to the trail
and more climbing is ahead. Take a left on
the trail and head up for the Whaleback trail.
The good news is that you're leaving the gravel
trail behind for the rest of the way. The bad
news is that the trail heads up, up, up. After
the boulder field, the trail starts
switchbacking like crazy. Once it's over, it's
mild for a short ways and then heads down (just
to annoy you) to the top of the falls. Find a
nice (and safe) spot to relax and enjoy the
views along the stream. There's more up ahead
right after crossing the bridge over the stream.
Be sure to pause occasionally and look around
as there are grand views of the stream, ice, and
mountain peaks. At the trail crest, take a
short side trip to the mountain edge (where
there is a memorial plaque for some people who
died) for views down Yoho Valley. Then it's a
steep switchback all the way down to the trail
junction (I wouldn't want to go up that) - a
quick 30 minutes. I laid on the trail for a bit
upon reaching the junction (and then caught my
second wind and continued on). At this point
you have a choice - the easier way back is to
the left for 1 mile and hooking back up with
the mild trail along the Yoho River for 2.7
miles back to the parking lot. The harder way
is to take the down to the bridge over the creek
and then head up pass the uneventful Lake
Celeste and continue up to the junction with the
Iceline Trail, above the tree line. At the
junction is a pretty, very small glacial fed
lake with ice and peaks above it. Be forewarned
that the Iceline Trail is not a level trail - it
goes up and down and up and down a few ridges
for the next 2 miles. But there are 2 more
small lakes in between the ridges and then you
get some grand views of Takakkaw Falls across
the valley. After finally reaching the junction
to head down towards the parking lot, it's 1.6
miles downhill the rest of the way (and I made a
quick go at it). The trail comes out behind the
hostel and then walk to the road and cross it
and continue on the trail on the other side of
the road to the base of the Takakkaw Falls and
the parking lot.
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.1 miles, 950 feet to Twin Falls
4.1 miles, 1350 feet up, 1000 feet down Twin
Falls to Little Yoho Junction (Whaleback)
2.6 miles, about 980 feet up Little Yoho
Junction to Iceline Trail (Lake Celeste)
2 miles Iceline Trail to down junction (ups
and downs along the way)
1.6 miles, about 1300 feet down junction to
parking lot
Area:
Huge waterfall, river, trees, impressive
double-fall, scenic mountain veiws, very small
mountain lakes
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Recommendation:
What I did was a little too much. Either
break it into separate hikes or skip the
Iceline portion of the trail. The Whaleback
section was very scenic.
Ross Lake - Yoho National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to the turnoff for Lake O'Hara (on the
south side of the road) - about 2 miles west
of the Alberta-BC boarder and a little east of
Wapta Lake (next to the highway). You can
either park next to the barrier of the blocked
old road or go right a short distance to the
parking area for the Lake O'Hara shuttle.
[The shuttle to Lake O'Hara costs a pretty
penny and requires reservations.]
Flush toilet at the parking area for Lake
O'Hara
Free
Trails:
You first have to walk along the old (paved)
Great Divide Road (decommissioned in 2000)
for a little over a mile to the actual
trailhead (look for the Ross Lake sign) -
the road parallels Hwy 1. From the road,
the trail heads a mild up in the trees and
it's less than a mile to the lake. At the
T-junction near the lake, take a left and
you'll see the lake a short ways ahead on
the right. It's a small lake with trees on
3 sides and a mountain on the 4th. There is
lots of road noise the entire way, including
at the lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
A little over 2 miles and 330 feet to the
lake
Area:
Trees, mountains, mountain lake
When I did the hike:
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Recommendation:
No, skip it.
Plains of Six Glaciers - Lake Agnes Loop (Lake Louise/Banff National Park)
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Lake Louise exit. Take the main
road all the way to the lake. Park in the
public parking lot. Note that it's popular,
so arrive early. Flush toilets at the
parking lot, chemical toilets near the
Teahouse on the way to the Plains of Six
Glaciers and near the Teahouse at Lake Agnes.
$9 Canadian per day for Banff National Park
Trails:
Start off along the trail that goes along
the north shore of the pretty Lake Louise.
The trailhead for Lake Agnes is near the
Chateau. The wide, wide, level paved trail
goes along the lake all the way to the end.
After a small up and down, a horse trail
joins the trail and you occasionally get
extra odors (but no where near as bad as the
Lake Agnes trail). The trail narrows some,
becomes packed dirt, and starts heading a
mild up. The up becomes steeper (but nothing
too hard) along the way and there is little
shade. There will be 2 trail junctions along
the way, continue straight at both. It's
less than a mile from the last junction to
the Teahouse. The Teahouse is in the trees
to the right with a chemical toilet near by.
The area has an open meadow with a streaming
going through it and makes a nice resting
spot or lunch break (bring you own lunch
unless you like expensive prices at the
Teahouse). A small bridge goes over the
creek and the trail continues to closer to
the glaciers - you may have to go over a
couple of small snow patches along the way.
After going along the dicey slope, the trail
heads steeply up and you can stop when ever
you feel like it - there is no true "lookout".
Some went all the way up to the rocks at the
base of the cliff, I found a nice comfy rock
along the way and sat there and enjoyed the
views. Head back along the trail to the
first trail junction you come to and take a
left along the Highland Trail. It took me
2 1/2 hours of steady hiking with only a few
pauses (no long breaks) to get to the lookout
area. After 1 km (.6 miles), continue
straight after another trail junction and the
trail goes into the forest. After another .6
miles is the junction for the Beehive/Lake
Agnes. Take a left and the fun begins as
it's up, up, up for the next .6 miles (in the
forest most of the way, with a couple of good
scenic views). After huffing and puffing and
pausing, you reach the pass. You still have
a little more up (though mild) to go. Take a
right and go .2 miles over the rocks and dirt
to the Big Beehive - there's a gazebo at the
end - with some great views down on Lake
Louise. You can also look down on Lake Agnes,
but you have to work a little bit to get those
views. I took me 2 1/2 hours with pauses and
1 long break (as I talked for a bit with a
hiker coming the other way) to get from the 6
Glacier Teahouse area to the gazebo. Back at
the pass, it's a steep, steep pure switchback
down to Lake Agnes and then a pretty walk
around the lake to the Teahouse. If you go
pass the Teahouse and continue along the shore
(no trail), you can find a nice resting spot
with few to no people and little noise and
wonderful views of the lake with the mountains
behind it. Back at the Teahouse, take the 1/2
mile (one-way) sidetrip to Little Beehive. The
view from Little Beehive of the entire wide
valley between the mountains isn't that
exciting as it's dominated by the road that
goes through the middle, but you do get more
views of Lake Louise and (going slightly off
trail) a wonderful look back at Lake Agnes and
all the mountains. Back at the Teahouse,
there are some wooden steps heading down and
then the trail gets icky for a while as it's a
combo-trail for a while and the horses use it
daily and leave plenty of reminders. Mirror
Lake is along the way and is very blah.
Continue down and at the junction, bear right -
straight is slightly shorter, but it's a pure
horse trail and surely you've had enough of
those odors. The wide packed dirt trail
continues down (with no lake views) and comes
out near the Chateau.
I spent 9 1/2 hours on this hike (including
several long breaks).
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total: about 12 miles, around 2500 feet
4 1/4 miles, 1,300 feet from Chateau to
Plains of Six Glaciers lookout
3 3/4 miles, ?? feet from lookout to Big
Beehive (down then up)
1 mile, 400 feet down from Big Beehive to
Lake Agnes Teahouse
little over 1 mile, ?? feet from Teahouse
to Little Beehive and back
little over 1 3/4 miles, 1300 feet down
from Teahouse to Chateau
Area:
Picture
When I did the hike:
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Recommendation:
Very pretty, but may be a little much for
one day, unless you are in very good shape.
You can separate it in to 2 days by doing
there-and-backs for 6 Glaciers and Lake
Agnes (with the Beehives) [But I don't
think I'd like going up _and_ down the
manure smelling trail to Agnes].
Rockpile Loop (Moraine Lake/Banff National Park)
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Lake Louise exit. Take the main
road a short ways and then turn left at the
sign saying Lake Moraine that way and go for
7.5 miles on that road to the lake. It's a
small parking lot, so arrive early.
Chemical toilets at the parking lot.
$9 Canadian per day for Banff National Park
Trails:
The short dirt and rock trail starts next to
the parking lot, between the toilets and the
lake. There is also a trail map of the area
and trail descriptions on a sign near by.
After a teeny bit, start heading up to the
right at the junction for the Consolation
Lakes trail. There are nature sign
descriptions (mostly geology) along the way.
After the climb, next to one of the signs,
you can take a left and a steep down off
trail for a pretty view next to the lake
(and get away from the crowds). Enjoy the
many fantastic views of Moraine Lake along
this loop.
Trail Length + Elevation:
about 1/2 mile pseudo-loop, 82 feet
Area:
Small rockpile at the tail of a large,
pretty mountain lake, surround by several
granite peaks.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, June 25, 2006; August 19+20, 2007;
Monday, July 7, 2008
Recommendation:
Definitely - a must if you go to Moraine
Lake (and if you are in the Lake Louise
area, you should go to Moraine Lake, even
if you just have time for a short visit).
I found Moraine Lake to be prettier than
Lake Louise - there are less people - and
the best views are from the rockpile.
You can also walk along the wide level
trail that goes along the north side of
the lake.
Lake Consolation (Moraine Lake/Banff National Park)
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Lake Louise exit. Take the main
road a short ways and then turn left at
the sign saying Moraine Lake that way and
go for 7.5 miles on that road to the lake.
It's a small parking lot, so arrive early.
Chemical toilets at the parking lot.
$9 Canadian per day for Banff National Park
Trails:
The trail starts next to the parking lot,
between the toilets and the lake. There is
also a trail map of the area and trail
descriptions on a sign near by. After
passing the junction for the Rockpile Loop
(continuing straight at the junction), the
2-person width trail goes through a rocky
area, but is then mostly packed dirt to the
lake. It's a mild grade up (and is even
level at times) through the forest. The
pleasant noise of running water from the
creek accompany you most of the way. When
you get to an open meadow with views of the
wide creek, you are almost to the lake.
There is a boulder field in front of the
lake. With lots of careful and time
consuming effort, you can rock-hop to the
lake's edge - you'll also have lots of
company as there are a ton of mosquitos
amongst the rocks. The trail map showed
the trail continuing across the creek and
along the lake to the Upper Consolation
Lake, but there is no bridge and I couldn't
see any trace of a trail on the other side
of the creek, so I didn't bother with the
wet water crossing (I would have if I saw a
trail on the other side). Another write-up
of this trail described the way to Upper
Consolation Lake as a wet, rough path.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1 3/4 miles (one-way), 213 feet
Area:
Forest, mountains, mountain lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Recommendation:
Well, it is a pretty mountain lake. I was
a little disappointed in it with the lack
of an easy crossing of the creek and the
mosquitos at the lake. It's not a hard
hike, but Eiffel Lake (which is a harder
hike) is more worth your time.
Paradise Valley (Moraine Lake/Banff National Park)
Directions:
Hwy 1 to the Lake Louise exit. Go though
the small Lake Louise Village (2 stop signs)
and at the turnoff to the left just past the
village, take the left for Lake Moraine and
about 3 miles ahead is a turnoff on the right
(the only turnoff along the way) for the
Paradise Valley parking lot.
No facilites (vault toilets at Lake Moraine
parking lot).
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
From the parking lot, the trail goes up for
a short ways before joining the wide ski
trail that goes between Lake Louise and
Moraine Lake - head straight. The ski trail
is mild with some ups. At the next junction
(shortly before a bridge), take a right for
Paradise Valley. The trail stays wide and
heads up. Take a left at the next junction
(the old loop end is to the right) and the
trail continues heading up. The trail then
heads down and there are a couple of ups and
downs ahead (nothing hard). The trail comes
to the first bridge and you get your first
sight of how special this hike is. As pretty
as the view is from the bridge, the views get
better the further into the valley you go.
The trail is mild as it heads along the river
and crosses it again. The trail heads a
little away from the river and has more of an
up. After the trail crosses the 3rd bridge,
the trail narrows and is rockier and it is a
big up for 1/3 mile (up, up, and up) to Lake
Annette. The lake is a pretty, small sized
lake with Mt Temple looming directly above
(the only access to the lake is right when
the trail first reaches it). From the lake,
the trail stays narrow and continues to head
a hard up through the trees. The up finally
ends and the trail calms down. As the trail
rounds a bend, there is a pretty view to the
north of Mt Aberdeen - but there are better
views ahead. The trees thin and then the
trail goes through an open rock field (good
path through the field) with magnificient
views 360 degrees - find a comfy rock and
enjoy the views, you may even spot a pika
in the rock field. After the rock field,
it is back into the trees and there are
some rock hopping and log crossings over
streams. At the Giant Steps junction,
continue straight. If you plan on going up
to Sentinel Pass, you have to keep an eye
out for the turn - it's not signed (I
missed it) - as you hit the rock field,
take a hard left for Sentinel Pass (the
trail continues straight - if you hit the
trees, you missed the turn).
For Sentinel Pass, the trail heads up, up,
and up for 1.5 miles to the pass. Soon the
trees are left behind and the rest of the
way is through rock fields and scree
slopes - you can see the pass and the way
to go most of the way. You also see a
number of "sentinels" (hoodoos) above you
along the way. I actually didn't make it to
the pass (have been to the pass from the
other side) as the rain came while I was
heading up and, after waiting for it to
pass, I headed back down (it was one of
those "rain for an hour, sunny for an hour,
rain for an hour, ..." type of days).
For not going to the pass (or in addition
to the pass), continue straight and the
trail makes its way through the rock field
and then goes back into the trees.
Eventually it heads down (mild down, not
too long) to the valley floor and just past
the Wasach Pass trail sign (continue
straight) there are two long bridges over
the river in the wide, open valley. Take a
seat in the middle of one of the bridges
(assuming no traffic) and enjoy the splendid
view of the large, wide waterfall and rocky
peaks of the top of the valley. You can
either turn around and head back or continue
straight and not to far ahead is the spur
trail for the Giant Steps (and backcountry
campground). It's .5 miles on the spur
trail to the Giant Steps, a waterfall
(didn't do the spur trail - it was getting
late). The trail crosses a bridge (no
views) and then heads a steep ugly up with
switchbacks and re-joins the original trail
(the "Giant Steps" junction passed earlier).
Note: Most maps still show this as a loop
trail, but they removed the back half of the
loop in the summer of 2006 (all bridges are
gone and that section of the trail is no
longer maintained).
If you have 2 cars, you can do a half-loop
hike by going over Sentinel Pass to/from
Moraine Lake (the trail between the Moraine
Lake and Paradise Valley parking lots is 7
miles long). It is easier to do the
half-loop starting from Moraine Lake (the
climb to Sentinel Pass is harder from the
Paradise Valley side). The half-loop is
10.5 miles long, 2375 feet (from Moraine).
If you want to do the really long full loop
(17.5 miles), go the other direction so
that the last 7 miles is downhill.
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.8 miles, 1250 feet one-way for Paradise
Valley
7 miles, 2900 feet one-way to Sentinel Pass
3.5 miles, 800 feet one-way to Lake
Annette
Area:
Canadian Rocky Mountains, beautiful and
scenic valley, mountain lake, mountain
pass.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Recommendation:
An absolutely beautiful hike.
Sentinel Pass - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to the Lake Louise exit. Go though
the small Lake Louise Village (2 stop signs)
and at the turnoff to the left just past the
village, take the left for Lake Moraine and
go all the way to the parking lot at the end
of the road (8 miles). Note that the lot is
fairly small and fills up during the day, so
it is best to arrive in the morning.
Outhouse at the parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Bear Note:
The trails in the Moraine Lake area all
(excluding the lake side trail) had Bear
restrictions when I was there in the late
summer - you had to be in a group of at
least 6 people to hike (and it was monitored
that Monday, but not the following
Saturday). The restriction only applies when
there are bears in the area (there wasn't
any restrictions when I went in June). If
you don't have a group of 6, wait at the
trailhead until you've gathered a group of
6 or more - and be flexible. I had planned
on going to Eiffel Lake, but everyone was
heading to Sentinel and, after waiting over
an hour, I went ahead and joined a group to
Sentinel. Funny note from that group: I'd
had been hiking for several weeks, one was
from the German Alps, 3 were hiking guides
from Lake Louise, and a pair was from
Holland - we let the Holland (flat land)
couple lead. Oops. They set a very fast
pace (and it's a climb to start) and, with
no one willing to swallow pride and ask them
to slow down, we were all huffing and
puffing by the time we reached the trail
junction.
Trails:
To get to the trailhead, head along the lake
past the lodge and you'll see a large map
and notice in front of a trail branching to
the right - take the right. It's a climb at
the start as the trail heads up over the
first 1.5 miles through the trees with
several switchbacks along the way (the trees
do limit the view of Moraine Lake to just
glimpses - no good views of the lake on this
hike). At the trail junction, take a right
and the trail continues heading up (though
not as steep as an up). The trail gets
milder heading through the meadows (but
still up). At the benches, you can take an
off-trail sidetrip to the right to reach
Middle Minnestimma Lake with a pretty view
of the Ten Peaks (as the mountains around
Moraine Lake are called) to the right. The
trail soon reaches Upper Minnestimma Lake
and you can see the trail heading up the
open slope above the lake with a couple of
long switchbacks and Sentinel Pass is the
saddleback in between the 2 mountain peaks.
It is a climb up from the lake to the pass,
but the views are well worth it (though,
again, no views of Moraine Lake). You get
views of the Ten Peaks and Larch Valley from
the way you came and views of Paradise
Valley and the Sentinel hoodoo on the other
side of the pass. After coming down from
the pass, stop at Upper Minnestimma Lake
and walk around the lake (no trail) to the
far side for an absolutely stunning view of
Ten Peaks across the lake (and if you are
lucky maybe even a reflection of the peaks
on the lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.5 miles, 2376 feet one-way
Area:
Large lake, many mountains, small mountain
lakes, great view point
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 28, 2006
Recommendation:
Spectacular views.
Eiffel Lake - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to the Lake Louise exit. Go though
the small Lake Louise Village (2 stop signs)
and at the turnoff to the left just past the
village, take the left for Lake Moraine and
go all the way to the parking lot at the end
of the road (8 miles). Note that the lot is
fairly small and fills up during the day, so
it is best to arrive in the morning.
Vault toilets at the parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Bear Note:
The trails in the Moraine Lake area all
(excluding the lake side trail) had Bear
restrictions when I was there in the late
summer - you had to be in a group of at
least 6 people to hike. The restriction
only applies when there are bears in the
area (there wasn't any restrictions when I
went in June). If you don't have a group of
6, wait at the trailhead until you've
gathered a group of 6 or more. [I got lucky
and the 2 groups I hiked with in the Moraine
Lake area were good people. One from the
2nd group was impressed that the bears knew
how to count (he was joking) - the reason
it's a minimum of 6 people is that they've
found that there has never been a bear
attack on a group of 5 or more people, and
they added 1 to that for safety.]
Trails:
To get to the trailhead, head along the lake
past the lodge and you'll see a large map
and notice in front of a trail branching to
the right - take the right.
So after my failed first attempt to gather
a group for Eiffel Lake earlier in the week,
I went back determined to get to the lake
this time. Fortunately I didn't have to
wait too long until I'd found enough people
willing to go to the lake. It's a climb at
the start as the trail heads up and up over
the first 1.5 miles through the trees with
several switchbacks along the way (the trees
do limit the view of Moraine Lake to just
glimpses). At the trail junction (there is
a bench there, but the bugs know about it),
continue straight - and all the hard climbing
is done as the rest of the way is just a mild
up (and some level). After a bit, the trees
thin out and then recede as you get above
the tree line and there are some excellent
views of the Ten Peaks and of Moraine Lake
itself - the views of Moraine Lake eventaully
do go away. The small, pretty Eiffel Lake is
in a rock field and the trail stays high
above the lake. If you want to get lake side
(which we did), the best way down seemed to
be the grass slope in the middle of the scree
field - make your way carefully down the
steep slope (and you'll see trail traces
along the way from others who headed down).
For my 2nd visit, I was able to make my way
down lake side by going down along the far
side of the bush area. There are plenty of
great resting spots at the lake - a great
lunch spot. Note that there are no views of
Moraine Lake from the Eiffel Lake area (maybe
further ahead on the trail). For those
wanting to go further (2 in my group
didn't). The trail continues for 2.5 miles
and gains 1130 feet to Wenkchemna Pass.
[My attempt to go to W Pass in 2008 got
snowed out has they had snow in June and
the way to the pass past Eiffel lake was
90% snow. I do recommend going a little
past Eiffel Lake and then make your way
off trail to the left for a pretty view
down on Eiffel Lake.] After getting back
to the trail junction, most of my group
decided to head to Sentinel Pass (though I
skipped the repeat climb to the pass and
found a pretty spot at Upper Minnestimma
Lake and waited for them) - we figured that
there were enough people hiking that the
other 2 would be safe for the last bit of
the hike down (plus we picked up another
person, so we were still a minimum group).
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.5 miles, 1200 feet one-way
Area:
Large lake, many mountains, small mountain
lake
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Saturday, September 2, 2006; Friday, July
5, 2008
Recommendation:
Yes, very pretty with closer views of the
mountains than Sentinel Pass (though both
are worth visits).
Boulder Lake and Deception Pass - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to the Lake Louise exit. After
exiting the highway, head east (away from
the village) on Whitehorn Road for about
a mile. Take a right on to Fish Creek
Road and a short ways ahead is the
parking area on the right, right before
the gate that restricts public access to
the ski town of Temple.
No facilities.
Fee - see fee for details
Temple road note:
When I finished this hike, there was a
ranger asking questions about hikers'
opinions about a shuttle for the road
(Lake Louise to Temple). I talked to her
for a while. The reason they want a
shuttle is that the road goes through a
bear's habitat. She said that they may
start the shuttle in 2007, so ask around
about if there is a shuttle and what fees
and reservations (if any) are needed. If
done right, the shuttle would be a great
thing - nobody wants to hike that dumb
road. Though if done wrong (heavy fee,
limited schedule, long term reservations
required, ...) it would be a bad thing.
Trails:
The first 2 miles is really blah as it
is simply walking up a gravel road with
no views - okay, I actually didn't have
to do that as one of the Temple road
workers stopped and offered me a lift up
and I accepted (something I've never done
before), with many thanks for saving me
that walk and enabling me to do much more
hiking than I would have been able to if
I had to walk up. The trail itself
starts next to an information kiosk.
From the kiosk, follow the signs for
Skoski Lodge and you'll soon be on the
wide trail (horses use the trail to
supply the lodge). The trail heads up
(not a hard up) for a little over 3
miles to Halfway Hut, a small cabin that
used to be for ski trekkers (now only
day use allowed) - there is an outhouse
next to it. Shortly after the hut is
the trail branch for Hidden Lake (more
on that later). Trail continues straight
with a bit of a climb (not still not
really hard) to Boulder Pass. From
Boulder Pass, the view back the way you
came isn't that exciting, but the view
forward is great with Ptarmigan Lake
right in front of you and peaks in the
distance. Take the short down to the
good sized lake. If you had to walk the
road or are tired, this is a good turning
around point. Else, head on along the
trail to the left of the lake. Near the
end of the lake, take a left for the
steep climb to Deception Pass. Once you
reach the pass, don't stop - head down a
bit until you can see the precious
blue-green Skoski Lakes (no trail to the
lakes) - I headed off trail a bit to the
right and up for an even better view of
the pretty lakes - the highlight of this
hike. From Deception Pass, you get a
nice view of Ptarmigan Lake and Baker
Lake (further to the east and a 390 feet
drop from Ptarmigan. I headed back to
Ptarmigan Lake and walked around the far
edge of the lake (sometimes on a trail,
sometimes not) as I was heading for
Redoubt Lake, above and to the south of
Ptarmigan. I was eventually on a path
(unmaintained) heading to the uneventful
lake. On the way out, I went to the left
of the way I came in, down the slate
slope to the edge of Ptarmigan Lake so
I could continue around the lake to get
back to Boulder Pass - big mistake. That
portion of the lake juts up to a large
boulder field (and I'm talking big
boulders) that I had to carefully
traverse my way through and over for very
slow going. After another rest at the
lake I headed back. I took the side trip
to Hidden Lake on the way back. At the
junction near the hut, head north and the
lake is where you'd expect it to be - at
the base of the mountain to your right.
It's a pretty lake and worth a visit. I
did walk the road back and was again
greatful to my good Samaritan who saved
me from walking up that (and also
suggested the view of the Skoski Lakes).
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.4 miles, 1050 feet Temple road
2 miles trail start to Halfway Hut
1.6 miles Hidden Lake sidetrip (round)
1 mile hut to Boulder Pass, 1100 feet
climb start to pass
1.5 miles Boulder Pass to Deception Pass
Area:
Mountains, mountain lakes
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Recommendation:
If a good shuttle system is in place, it
would be a great place to visit with
fewer crowds. If you do have to walk
the road up, Hidden Lake and the head of
Ptarmigan Lake would be good
destinations. Skip Redoubt Lake.
Taylor and O'Brien Lakes - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to the Taylor Creek Picnic Area, on
the west side of the road (between Castle
Junction and Lake Louise).
Outhouses at parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The wide, 2-person width packed dirt
trail heads a steady up (no hard climbs,
but not level). There is a marshy area
right before the lake that may be muddy,
but you can probably make your way
carefully and avoid the mud. It's a good
sized lake that some like to fish at.
There is an open area next to the head of
the lake and most of the rest of the lake
is surrounded by trees. To continue on
to O'Brien Lake, go back on the trail a
short bit and you should find the O'Brien
junction heading to the right starting
with a log bridge over the creek.
Although it is an unmaintained trail, the
one-person width trail is well defined
and easy to follow. The trail heads down
at first and then heads up with a climb
(though not a huff-and-puffer). After
the Boom Lake junction, the trail heads
through a marshy area and can get muddy.
Keep to the left as much as you can to
try to avoid the mud. The smaller lake
is also a fishing spot, and also nothing
exciting.
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.9 miles, 1920 feet to Taylor Lake
.75 miles Taylor Lake to O'Brien Lake
Area:
Trees, mountains, lakes
When I did the hike:
Sunday, September 3, 2006
Recommendation:
No. Neither lake is special.
Unmemoriable (thank goodness I took
notes as I hardly remembered the lakes).
Floe Lake - Kootenay National Park
Directions:
Hwy 93 to the Floe Lake-Hawk Creek parking
lot on the west side of the highway, about
14 miles south of the Banff-Kootenay boarder.
Vault toilet at parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
Floe Lake is a beautiful lake with a
stunning backdrop of The Rockwall, a shear
rock-faced mountain, on the far side of the
lake. Unfortunately the valley leading up
to the lake area was decimated by a heavy
forest fire in 2003 - but fortunately the
fire did not reach the lake area. So now
the hike to Floe Lake is an ugly 6 miles
before getting out of the burn area. The
narrow, one-person width dirt trail starts
heading down from the parking lot to a
bridge over the creek a short ways ahead.
The trail then heads to the right and
parallels the road for a ways to the valley
head. The trail crosses the valley creek
over a bridge and then continues on
parallelling the road for a bit longer (and
you'll start wondering if you missed a
branch, but you are on the correct trail).
The trail finally switchbacks up and around
a bend and heads up the valley, staying
high above the valley creek. The trail is
mild for a ways and then there is a
switchback section and then it is mild
again. At the foot of the falls, the trail
goes up, up, and up - it doesn't shortcut
over any side valleys and is a good climb.
When the climb finally ends, the trail heads
down to the campground and take a left and
come out at the middle of the good-sized
lake. The view is very impressive,
especially with the fresh layer of snow I
had. I had planned to go the extra distance
to Numa Pass (where the views are supposed
to be impressive), but the entire way was
covered in snow and I became concerned with
animal footprints next to the trail (looked
like bear), so I turned around after a short
bit and returned to the lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
6.5 miles, 2350 feet to Floe Lake
1.7 miles, 985 feet Floe Lake to Numa Pass
Area:
burnt trees, mountains, mountain lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, September 1, 2006; Tuesday, July
8, 2008
Recommendation:
It's a beautiful destination, but the hike
to the lake is now ugly.
Paint Pots (Kootenay National Park)
Directions:
Take Hwy 1 to Hwy 93 west (turnoff between
the towns of Banff and Lake Louise).
Continue for 6 miles past the
Albert-British Colombia border and take
a right into the Paint Pots parking lot.
Vault toilets.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The trail starts graveled and later is
packed orange clay. There are some info
signs along the way about the history of
the area and uses of the clay. After
passing two open areas containing patches
of the Ochre Beds, there is a bit of an
up as the trail goes along the stream
from the mineral springs - kinds of
colorful. At the end of the trail are 3
large orange mounds with water coming out
of the top (the 3 springs).
Trail Length:
.6 miles one-way
Area:
Canadian Rocky Mountains, orange ochre
dirt, 3 mineral springs
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Recommendation:
No, unless you've never seen natural red
or orange dirt.
Marble Canyon (Kootenay National Park)
Directions:
Take Hwy 1 to Hwy 93 west (turnoff between
the towns of Banff and Lake Louise).
Continue for a little over 4 miles past
the Albert-British Colombia border and
take a right into the Marble Canyon
parking lot. The trail starts to the left
of the bathrooms.
Flush toilets.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
After a bridge over the river, the paved
trail (not wheelchair accessible as there
are steps) heads alongside the river and
then turns left and heads up (with steps)
alongside the Tokumm Creek. After that
climb, the trail is mild as criss-crosses
(bridges) above and next to the narrow
slot canyon with the water of the creek
gushing through below (at times 200 feet
below). The paved path ends where the
creek drops (waterfall) down for the
start of the canyon.
Trail Length:
1 mile loop with a tail
Area:
Canadian Rocky Mountains, fast flowing
river through a slot canyon.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Recommendation:
Worth a short visit. Pretty.
Boom Lake - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Castle Junction and head west on
Hwy 93 a short ways to the Boom Lake
parking lot on the north side of the road
(just pass the Storm Mountain Lodge).
Outhouse at the parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The trail stays wide almost the whole way
to the lake (it's an old dirt road). The
popular trail is a steady mild up with no
hard climbs. Once the trail starts
heading down, you are getting close to
the lake. Shortly before the lake, the
trail narrows to a one-person width trail
and you'll start seeing glimpses of the
lake. It's a large mountain lake with
trees along the north side and peaks at
the far end.
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.2 miles, 575 feet one-way
Area:
Trees, mountains, large mountain lake.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, September 3, 2006
Recommendation:
Na, unless you need an easier hike for a
family outing.
Arnica and Twin Lakes - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Castle Junction and then west
on Hwy 93 to the Vista Lake viewpoint
on the south side of the road (just
passed the Boom Lake parking lot on the
north side).
No facilities.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
This down-and-up-and-down-and-up-and-down
and then back trek starts with a quick
down to the uneventful Vista Lake, a tree
surrounded lake. It's seems too early to
stop for a break, but you might want to
take one as next is a hard climb up the
ridge to the right. It does start with
a milder up to begin, but once the trail
starts getting rooty, the hard climbing
starts and continues for a ways. The are
some open areas near the ridge where you
can see peaks to the north and east. At
the ridge, the trail takes a small down
to a small meadow - you can either go
through the meadow or go above it to the
left (depends on if it's muddy). Then
the up continues. Once you reach the
ridge, the trail is mild for a little
bit and then all of the sudden you are
at the lake (no drop to the lake). There
is a nice resting spot just ahead to the
left. It's a good sized lake with a
granite peak on the far side. The trail
continues around the bottom of the lake
and then the up starts again. It is a
hard up and can be muddy at times. Once
you reach the ridge, the good news is
the climbing is done (until the return).
The trail continues down for a good ways
before reaching the Upper Twin Lake.
Cross the outlet (easy rock hop) and
take a right at the outhouse through the
campground to a nice lakeside resting
spot (including small benches). If you
made it to Upper Twin Lake, you must
continue on to Lower Twin Lake, the
prettiest of the lakes. The trail heads
down at a mild grade. Cross the stream
on the log bridge and take a right (and
it can be muddy) to get lake side. The
lake is enhanced by a pretty waterfall
that feeds the lake on the far side.
There is a trail directly to Lower Twin
Lakes from Hwy 1 (just south of Castle
Junction) that's 5 miles and gains 2000
feet - if you can arrange the
transportation, that would be a quicker
out than returning back to the Vista
Lake viewpoint (with all the ups and
downs along the way).
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total (round): 11.4 miles, 3485 feet
.9 miles, 390 feet down to Vista Lake
2.2 miles, 1900 feet up Vista Lake to
Arnica Lake
.5 miles, 440 feet up Arnica Lake to
ridge
.9 miles, 640 feet down ridge to
Lower Twin Lake
1.2 miles, 115 feet down Lower Twin
Lake to Upper Twin Lake
Area:
Mountains, trees, mountain lakes in
bowls.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Monday, September 4, 2006
Recommendation:
A long ways to go to reach the pretty
Lower Twin Lake, the other lakes aren't
that exciting.
Rockbound Lake - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1A to Castle Junction (intersection
of 1A and Hwy 93) - just south of the
junction is the small parking area for
Rockbound Lake and Silverton Falls (just
north of the Castle Mountain campground).
Outhouse to the left of the trailhead.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
After a rained-out day and the morning
drizzle finally had ended, I headed out
to Rockbound Lake - the trail wasn't
too muddy. The wide trail (old one-lane
dirt road) heads a steady up at a mild
grade for the first 3 miles (with some
road noise from Hwy 1A) - it's an
uneventful 75 minutes. After rounding
the last bend (which puts you in the
valley behind Castle Mountain), the
trail narrows to regular trail width and
continues through the trees. I had a
big surprise when I rounded the bend -
the entire area had a fresh layer of
snow (while it rained the previous day
in the lower elevations, it snowed in
the higher elevations). It was a
beautiful winter wonderland and I
continued on through the snow. If not
snow covered, the trail is rocky and
rooty and can be muddy at points. After
1.7 miles from the trail narrowing, the
trail reaches the small, but pretty
Tower Lake. Try to find a spot and
rest and enjoy the lake - unfortunately
there are not many resting spots along
the pretty lake as the west side (where
the trail is) is grassy. Rock hop and
log cross the outlet stream and the
trail heads up, up, up. Rockbound Lake
is over the ridge to the north of Tower
Lake. It is a 300 foot climb for .5
miles, but worth the effort (if you make
it to Tower Lake, continue on to
Rockbound). There are some nice views
down on Tower Lake on the way up. After
cresting the ridge, the trail drops down
and finally reaches Rockbound Lake, a
good-sized lake in the middle of a
boulder field. Find a comfty rock near
the lake (I like the area to the left)
and enjoy the views of the pretty area.
Wander around the lake area if you feel
like it. I'll freely admit that the
snow biased my opinion of this hike as
it was one of the highlights of the
trip (and I even used a picture from
this hike for my Christmas card). Even
without the snow it is a pretty hike
(despite the blah first 3 miles).
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.2 miles, 2500 feet one-way
Area:
Trees, mountains, mountain lakes
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, September 1, 2006; Wednesday,
July 9, 2008
Recommendation:
A very pretty area, probably enhanced
by the fresh snowfall I had.
Johnston's Canyon - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1A to the Johnston Canyon parking lot
(several miles south of Castel Junction).
Flush toilets at parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
It's a paved (and wheelchair accessible)
trail all the way to the lower falls.
There are sections of the trail that are
"catwalks" where the trail is attached to
the cliffside and hangs over the water.
The lower falls are a small waterfall.
The paved trail continues to the upper
falls (with steps along the way - not
wheelchair accessible) and gains about
500 feet elevation. The upper falls are
a little more impressive (and much
taller) than the lower falls, but still
not that exciting.
Trail Length:
1 mile, fairly level to lower falls
.7 miles, about 500 feet to upper falls
Area:
Creek in a narrow canyon.
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Recommendation:
Not really anything impressive, but a place
you can visit even if the weather is poor
due to the paved trail.
Bourgeau Lake and Harvey Pass - Banff National Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to the Bourgeau Lake parking area on
the west side of the road, shortly past the
Sunshine Road turnoff.
Outhouses at parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The trail stays wide (2-person width) most
of the way to Bourgeau Lake. It's a mild
up, but a long ways to the bottom of the
falls. Take a break at the falls as the
next 30 minutes is a huff-and-puff up,
with a number of switchbacks. Then it is
mild the rest of the way to the lake - it
took me about 2 hours to reach the lake.
The trail reaches the lake near the
outlet at a boulder field with plenty of
nice resting spots. The pretty lake is
surrounded by granite peaks for half of
it's circumference and trees on the other
half. If you make it to the lake, do
continue on to the pass - the views and
small lakes along the way are wonderful.
The one-person width trail continues from
Bourgeau Lake through the trees and (after
a small up) comes out at the base of a
large scree slope. The rest of the way is
up, up, up and above the tree line. The
trail continues through the scree slope
(there some choices of which trail to take
through the slope, but they all converge
eventually, so take which ever one you
feel comfortable with. At the top of the
falls is a small pretty lake - and you are
done with the scree until the return. The
trail is mild around the lake and then it
is another up next to another small
waterfall. At the top, the trail heads
left and it's a steep climb on packed dirt
(to the right and straight ahead at the
top of the falls looks like it might hold
some gems, but you'll see from above what
is there and that it's really not worth an
off-trail visit. At the ridge is the
small Harvey Lake. And just ahead (and
not much of a climb) is Harvey Pass. From
the pass, you get long distance views of
the peaks south, including Mount
Assiniborne. There is no need to go left
from the pass as the views are the best
at the pass and there is no view down on
Bourgeau Lake from the saddleback to the
left (though it looks like there would
be).
Trail Length + Elevation:
4.6 miles, 2380 feet to Bourgeau Lake
1.4 miles, 965 feet Bourgeau Lake to
Harvey Pass
Area:
Mountains, trees, mountain lakes
Picture
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Recommendation:
One of the nicest hikes close to the town of
Banff.
Chester Lake - Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Hwy 40 to Peter Lougheed Provincial
Park, taking a right on to Kananaskis Lakes
road. After about a mile and a half, take a
right on to Smith-Dorrien Road. The rough
road is paved for the first 2 miles, but the
rest is not paved - it's another 10 miles to
the Chester Lake parking area, on the left
side of the road.
Chemical toilet at parking lot.
Free
Trails:
The trail starts as a blah old logging road,
and is that way for about a mile and a half,
but most of the elevation gained is along
this stretch. The trail narrows slightly
(but still wide) as it becomes dirt and
rooty. Once you reach the first meadow, the
trail is mild the rest of the way to the
lake. At the last meadow, there are some
good views of the peaks behind you. The
lake is a nice sized lake with trees on 3
sides and the 4th an impressive mountain
with diagonal ridges making up the entire
face (with a scree slope at the bottom).
You can walk all the way around the lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.8 miles, 1030 feet
Area:
Trees, mountains, mountain lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Recommendation:
It is a pretty lake with the sheer wall
beside it, but I don't know if it's worth
the drive to get there (if you are in the
area or it's along the way, definitely
stop).
Black Prince Cirque - Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Hwy 40 to Peter Lougheed Provincial
Park, taking a right on to Kananaskis Lakes
road. After about a mile and a half, take a
right on to Smith-Dorrien Road. The rough
road is paved for the first 2 miles, but the
rest is not paved - it's another 3 miles to
the Mount Black Prince Day Use parking area,
on the left side of the road.
Chemical toilet at parking lot.
Free
Trails:
The trail starts as an old logging road
heading up. At the bench, take a right and
head on to a true, 2-person width trail.
Take a right at the hiking sign for the
start of the loop. Warspite Lake, set in
the trees, is at the top of the loop - but
it was nothing more than a small pond when
I was there and the views were nothing
exciting.
Trail Length:
1.3 miles
Area:
Trees, mountains
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Recommendation:
A great disappointment. The hiking book
described it as one of the best effort to
reward hikes, but when I was there it was
completely blah.
Rawson Lake - Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Hwy 40 to Peter Lougheed Provincial
Park, taking a right on to Kananaskis Lakes
road. Continue on the road all the way to
Upper Kananaskis Lake road and take the
first parking option for the upper lake.
The trailhead is at the far end of the
gravel parking lot.
Chemical toilet at parking lot, outhouse at
the lake.
Free
Trails:
The trail starts as the mild walk around
Upper Kananaskis Lake. After crossing over
the small, pretty waterfall (not the earlier
trinkle waterfall), the branch for Rawson
Lake heads left. And you up, up, up as
almost all of the climbing is done along
this stretch. The trail finally calms down
and it's mild (with a slight grade up) the
rest of the way to the lake. The lake is
shortly after the section of the trail
where you walk on logs. Head to the left
some for nice resting spots (and feet
soaking). It's a pretty lake set in a
granite bowl.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.2 miles, 1000 feet
Area:
Trees, mountains, mountain lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Recommendation:
If you are in the area, definitely do this
hike - it's not hard and it's a pretty lake
in a granite amphitheater.
Bertha Lake (Waterton Lakes National Park)
Directions:
In Waterton, take the entrance road to the town of
Waterton. Continue straight (Evergreen Ave) until
it T-junctions with Cameron Falls Drive. Take a
right and either park in the area right after the
bridge (for a little longer hike - trail starts on
the west side of the road and continue straight at
the junction) or drive a little further and look
for a small parking area on the right.
No facilities.
$7 Canadian.
Trails:
The trail starts with a short up and then heads
along (but above) Upper Waterton Lake a while.
At the Bertha Lake Junction (first junction), take
a left and head up the canyon. From here it is a
surprisingly a mild up to Bertha Falls, a small
pretty falls, similar to Cameron Falls. The trail
soon starts heading a harder up and it's an up
almost all the way to the lake. When you see the
upper falls, you get an idea of exactly how much
up is left (actually a little more than that as
the trail goes above a rock section). Right where
the trail drops to the lake, first go straight for
a great overlook of the lake before heading down.
There is a narrow (4 km) trail that goes all the
way around (didn't do - too cold and windy).
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.6 miles, 1500 feet one-way
Area:
Mountains, trees, huge Upper Waterton Lake, good
sized mountain lake.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 20, 2007
Recommendation:
It's a pretty lake and a nice hike.
Carthew-Alderson Trail - Waterton Lakes National Park
Logistics:
For this hike, you either need 2 vehicles
or take a shuttle service. The Tamarock
Village Square store in Waterton offers a
shuttle that departs at 9 am ($10 Canadian
in 2006) - they take reservations, but do
have a minimum and maximum of number of
people that they'll take each day. If you
can't arrange the transportation, you can
just do a there-and-back to Carthew Summit.
Directions:
In Waterton, take the Akamina Parkway road
to the end at Cameron Lake.
Flush toilets at Cameron Lake, outhouse at
campground near Alderson lake.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
As you face Cameron Lake (and take the
obligatory picture of the beautiful large
lake), the trail starts to the left of the
canoes. Note that there are glimpses of
Cameron Lake along the trail, but no good
full views (so enjoy Cameron before you
start). The 1 1/2 person width, dirt and
small rocks trail heads steadily up the
mountainside with 5 long switchbacks along
the way and then a shorter distance to the
6th switchback. The trail is then mild
the rest of the way to Summit Lake, about
15 minutes ahead. Summit Lake is a small,
tree encircled lake with mountain peaks
visible in the far distance - not that
exciting of a lake. Take a rest at the
one good resting spot at the lake. Near
behind that resting spot is the branch for
Carthew Summit. Make sure you take that
hard left branch - the trail that
continues around Summit Lake and then down
to Boundary creek is a seldom used trail.
From the lake, the trail starts climbing
immediately - it's a steeper up and the
trail is rockier. After a bend, you'll
see ahead the nasty scree slope with
almost no trees with the trail going
through it with a couple of switchbacks up
the mountainside. That's the unpleasant
portion of the hike - it's a narrow trail
that can be harrowing at times. Once you
finally reach the ridge, you can see down
the other side to the 3 Carthew Lakes, but
don't head down yet. If it's not too
windy, first take a right to the jut of
rocks and make your way to the top for a
really "Wow!" view point (and a good spot
for lunch). The views are majestic 360
degrees. Almost all the rest of the hike
is downhill, except for a small up out of
the Middle Carthew Lake. The Upper and
Middle Carthew Lakes (the trail doesn't go
next to the lower lake) are above the tree
line and pretty in their own right - take
time and enjoy each one. There is a small
up out of Middle Carthew Lake, and then
it's down, down, down as the trail heads
back into the trees. Heading towards
Alderson Lake, there are some very pretty
views of the lake (actually prettier from
above than lakeside). The trail stays
well above the lake and you have to take
a .2 mile side trip to visit the lake
(taking a right at the campground
junction, the branch comes out at the head
of the lake) - it's worth the visit and the
last true resting spot before the last blah
5 miles of the hike. The rest of the trail
heads in the trees down the canyon and then
around a bend and eventually comes out at
the pleasant Carthew Falls at the edge of
town (taking a left at the end of the fence
along the trail, else head straight and the
trail comes out at the Waterton campground,
both are on the west side of town).
Including long breaks at the lakes and
sidetrips, it took me 7.5 hours to complete
this hike.
Trail Length + Elevation:
4.9 miles, 2135 feet up to Carthew Summit
7.6 miles, 3330 feet down summit to
Waterton townsite
Area:
Trees, mountains, scree field, mountain
lakes.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, September 8, 2006
Recommendation:
A wonderful hike with many excellent
views.
Wall Lake - Waterton Lakes National Park
Directions:
In Waterton, take the Akamina Parkway road
to about half a mile before Cameron Lake.
The parking area is a dirt pulloff on the
left side of the road - the trail starts on
the right side of the road.
No facilities at trailhead, but flush
toilets at Cameron Lake. Outhouse near far
side of the lake.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The trail starts as an old dirt road bed
and stays wide until the junction for Wall
Lake. It is an up to start (but not a
huff-and-puffer), but is mild the rest of
the way. Shortly after the campground
area, take a left for the Wall Lake trail
(signed junction) and the trail narrows and
stays level for a little bit before mildly
heading up. When you reach the lake,
continue around the lake (don't just stop
at the head). Near the top of the lake is
a strip of land that goes out into the
water and there will likely be some snow in
the area. The very pretty lake is in a
mountain bowl. Look for mountain goats
grazing high above you. [Technically the
lake is in Akamina-Kishinena Provincial
Park, but the trailhead is in Waterton.]
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.2 miles, 350 feet to the lake
Area:
Trees, mountains, mountain lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Thursday, September 7, 2006; Tuesday,
August 21, 2007; Friday, July 11, 2008;
Monday, August 22, 2011
Recommendation:
Absolutely - a surprisingly pretty lake
for such an easy hike.
Forum Lake - Waterton Lakes National Park
Directions:
In Waterton, take the entrance road to Akamina
Parkway (just before the town of Waterton) and take
a left (signed for Cameron Lake). Continue on the
road to almost the end and look for a pulloff area
on the left (the trail starts on the right).
Flush toilets at Cameron Lake.
$7 Canadian.
Trails:
The trail starts as a dirt road and heads a hard up
to start to the park border. A short bit past the
border, is the signed junction for Forum Lake - take
a left. A short ways ahead is a ranger station and
a short side-trip to the blah Forum Falls. From
there, the trail narrows and is a steep, hard up for
about .5 miles that will have you huff-and-puffing
and pausing every minute or two - no switchbacks,
just up. The trail finally calms down some, but is
still heading up. It is mild to the creek crossing
and then some more up (but nothing like before) -
the lake is still a little ways away. After the
narrow logs, there is a short up and a short down to
the lake. There is a pretty backdrop to the lake,
but the lake itself is not exciting or very pretty.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.7 miles, 1150 one-way.
Area:
Mountains, trees, small mountain lake.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Recommendation:
Na. Wall Lake is much prettier and a far easier
hike and more worthier of your time. Since the
two lakes share the same start, you can do both
lakes in one long hike.
Rowe Lakes and Lineham Ridge - Waterton Lakes National Park
Directions:
In Waterton, take the Akamina Parkway road
to about a mile before Cameron Lake. The
parking area is a dirt pulloff on the
right side of the road. [And make sure
you are at the sign for Rowe Tamarack, not
Lineham Falls (a different hike).]
No facilities (flush toilets at Cameron
Lake)
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
The dirt trail is wide to start and narrows
later. The trail heads up to start, though
not at a steep grade, and goes along Rowe
Creek, including a pretty section where the
water flows over red rock. It took me about
an hour to reach the junction for Lower Rowe
Lake. It's a very short side trip to the
uneventful, tree surrounded lake - I'd say
just skip it, but it's such a short a
distance that you might as well take the
side trip and form your own opinion of the
lake. From that junction, it's about 20
minutes further ahead (again mild heading up)
to the Upper Rowe Lakes junction. I elected
to take that branch on the way back (and that
seems like a good way to do it if you want to
do both). Either way you are going, take a
rest near the junction as it's a hard up for
both branches. From the junction, take a
look behind you at the ridge across the way
and you can see part of the Lineham Ridge
trail as a line through the scree slope of
the mountain slope. Take a right and go up
for the Lineham Ridge trail and huff-and-puff
your way up for about 10 minutes on the loose
rock trail. The trail then continues heading
up as it rounds the top of the valley, but
not as harsh as an up, and you are mostly
above the tree line. Once you hit the scree
slope, you still have a long ways to go. As
you continue up, you'll reach the "Oh crap!"
switchback - as in you thought you were
almost done, but the trail switchbacks and
heads a long ways the other direction,
keeping below the ridge. At that switchback,
first take a right and make your way to the
open saddleback and find a nice resting spot
and enjoy the wonderful views down on the
Lineham Lakes. You can also look across the
Rowe Valley and see Upper Rowe Lakes across
the way. The saddleback is actually a great
destination point and you can skip the rest
of the hike as the views from the saddleback
are the best along the hike. But if you want
to continue, take a left at the switchback.
There is a short rocky outcrop section where
you'll need your hands free to help yourself
up. Continue around the rock bend and take
looks down on the Lineham Lakes. Turn around
when the trail starts heading down (the trail
continues for a long ways further into the
park). The gorgeous Lineham Lakes are in an
isolated hanging valley - there is no trail
to reach them.
Back at the Upper Rowe Lakes trail junction,
I took the left and headed up to the lakes.
The trail was uneventful as it stays in the
trees and there are a few switchbacks along
the way. The trail peaks near the smaller of
the two Upper Rowe Lakes (not much more of a
pond when I was there) and then it's a short
descent to the much larger Upper Rowe Lake.
Find a nice spot to rest, feet soak, and
enjoy the pretty lake. It took me 30 minutes
to get to the lake from the junction on my
tired legs.
Note: I had my 2nd ever trail bear encounter
on this hike. It was about 20 minutes from
the end of the hike and in an avalanche
slope was a bear and her cub near the trail.
A group had already spotted her when I
arrived and we waited and more people
arrived. When we got about 15 people (and
some had bear gas), we decided to try to pass
as she was showing no signs of moving on,
despite the loud noises we were making. We
all made it safely past, but she was very
reluctant to leave the trail area. I went to
report the bear sighting to the ranger
station afterwards, but they were already
closed. A couple from the hike showed up
while I was there and said they'd stop by the
next day (I was leaving) and report it. I
was very concerned that the bear was too used
to people as bears will usually leave an area
when a large number of people are around and
a lot of noise is intentionally being made.
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.3 miles, 3115 feet to Lineham Ridge
.75 miles, more up sidetrip to Upper Rowe
Lakes (4 miles, 1820 feet from
trailhead to upper lakes)
Area:
Trees, mountains, mountain lakes.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Saturday, September 9, 2006
Recommendation:
I'd put the Carthew-Alderson hike before this,
but it is a pretty view down on Lineham Lakes.
Red Rock Canyon - Waterton Lakes National Park
Directions:
In Waterton, take Red Rock Parkway all the
way to the paved parking area at the end.
Note that you often see bears along Red Rock
Parkway.
Chemical toilets at parking lot.
Fee - see fee for details
Trails:
There is a paved 1 mile loop that goes above
the small canyon (wheelchair accessible).
Trail Length :
1 mile
Area:
Small narrow canyon (not very deep) made of
red rock
When I did the hike:
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Recommendation:
If you have an extra hour, it's a nice little
place to visit. If you don't, you aren't
missing much.
Crypt Lake (Waterton Lakes National Park - Canada)
Directions:
[From Glacier National Park]
Hwy 89 to Hwy 17 to the Canadian boarder
(customs stop). Hwy 17 turns into Hwy 6 on
the Canadian side. Take Hwy 6 to Hwy 5 west
and the park entrance is a short ways ahead.
Take Hwy 5 into the town of Waterton Park
and take the first road left to the end and
turn left into the harbor parking lot. The
water shuttle for the Crypt Lake hike
departs at 9 am and and 10 am (advance
reservations are not allowed) and the return
shuttle is at 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm [if you
miss the 4 pm shuttle, you can catch the
5:30 shuttle, but don't miss the 5:30
shuttle].
Flush toilets and water at the harbor, no
toilet at the trail head, outhouse (may even
have toilet paper) near Crypt Lake
$5 Canadian for day use, plus $16 Canadian
for water shuttle
Trails:
The one-person width trail starts heading up
immediately. After a half of a mile to a
mile, it levels some (with more downs than
you realize - which you will notice on the
way back). The Twin Falls (which are the
first falls you reach) are not impressive
and are small (just a small fall to a small
pool and then another small fall in front of
the pool for the "twin" name), but is a nice
spot to take a short break. Enjoy your
first view of the middle fall (Burnt Rock
Falls - a larger fall with a concave area
behind the fall). Enjoy it because the
climb is about to begin. The trail up to
the climb has been in the forest and for the
rest of the way it is mostly in the open.
You go up, up, and up for over a mile of
switchbacks. Along the way up you get great
views of the very tall Crypt Falls - the
lake is at the top of the falls. Once you
have finally huffed and puffed your way to
the old campground area (no overnight trips
allowed any more), the hard work is over and
it is time to test your nerves. The short
level trail from the campground to the tunnel
through the talus slope is not bad (the slope
the trail goes through looks steeper in
pictures). It ends at a 12-foot ladder that
goes up to a tunnel. The narrow ladder is to
the side of the tunnel and ends at the floor
of the tunnel (which makes it really fun
going down - I just couldn't make myself
swing out onto the ladder (with no true
handholds above it on the rock wall) and
ended up lowering myself down between the
ladder and the tunnel). The tunnel (a
natural tunnel that was widened) is narrow
and short and only about 60 feet long - take
your backpack off and carry it ahead or
behind you as you duck-walk through. Once
you get to the end, you have to climb down
about 6 feet (with plenty of rocks and foot
holds) and then head along the narrow rocky
ledge. There is a metal rope along this
section of the trail to hang on to. Once
that nerve wracking section ends, the trail
is easy the rest of the way to the lake (but
you are not quite there yet). At the sharp
turn of the trail (now you are almost there),
first take a right for a view down the valley
from the top of Crypt Falls. Back at the
corner, go up the small ledge and then head
down (short down) to the good sized pretty
lake. There is a trail that goes around the
lake. I liked resting on the rock area to
the left that extends into the lake. On the
hike back, you can take the Hells Roaring
Canyon route, which re-connects with the
Crypt Lake trail a short ways before the boat
landing. The Hells Roaring Canyon is a
narrow trail with some steep downs (so don't
do it if your knees are complaining) that
will add about 15 minutes to your hike. It
goes along a narrow canyon without too many
views down in to it [not really worth it, but
it is only 15 minutes extra]. There are some
nice views near the end as it goes along
Middle Waterton Lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.5 miles one-way, +2300 feet
Area:
Mountains, mountain lakes, waterfalls
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 9, 2004
Recommendation:
It is a pretty lake, but you have to
be willing to endure the nerve-wracking
section of the hike to do this hike.